mcdonald



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1. J. W. MoDONALD.

TRACK LIFTER Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

WITNESSES BY JMMfl Wv mg @Q? ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. Phola-Lllhcgmphcr. Washinglnn. D. c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. W. MoDONALD,

TRACK LIFTER No. 340,723. Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

INVBNTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. MCDONALD. OF WVINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND ROBERT D. BATHGATE, OF SAME PLACE.

TRACK-LIFTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,723, dated April 27, 1886.

Application filed November 14,1885. Serial No. 182,819. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES W. MCDONALD, of Winnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba and Dominion of Canada, haveinvented anew and Improved Track-Lifter, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved track lifter especially adapted for raising railroad-tracks when constructing or repairing roads.

The invention consists of one or more jacks attached to a plank and operated by levers; of a device for raising the plank and jacks, and of an automatic grip, all mounted on a handcar of usual construction.

The invention also consists in various parts and details hereinafter more fully set forth and described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding partsin all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the jack on the lines as a: of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a sectional plan view of the same on the liney y of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the jack similar to Fig. 3, showing the pawls disengaged.

In constructing or repairing railroads it is frequently necessary to raise temporarily the track, which is commonly done by raising the track on one side at a time by means ofjacks or a lever, which process, however, is slow and inconvenient, necessitating the carrying of the jack or lever by hand, and the digging into the road-bed to get under the rail.

With my improved track-lifter I raise both sides of the track at once by the use of automatic grips and jacks mounted on a hand-car, which is placed on the rails of the track to be raised,and which hand-car can be moved easily and expeditiously along the track as the progress of the work requires.

The hand-car A, of usual construction and means for propelling the same, is provided with the platform B, mounted on the wheels 0. One end of the platform B is provided with the standards or supports D, each having a bolt, D, projecting upward, which is provided on top with a nut, D. The crossbeam E rests on the upper ends of the standards D, and is held in place by means of the bolts D.

The lifting-jacks F, of which l may employ one or more, consist each of the cylinder F and the plunger F, the latter being provided on its upper end with a roundedoff plate, F*,

loosely attached to the cross-beam E in any suitable manner. with a base-plate, F which is loosely attached to a cross'plank, G, which is not quite as long as the width of the track between the rails. The base-plates F are rounded off, similar to the top plates, F so that the jacks F may retain a perpendicular position when the plank G rests on uneven ground.

On the cylinder F of the jack F is fulcrumed the handle-lever F, to one end of which is pivotally attached the arm T, provided on its lower end with the lifting-lever T, having an aperture through which passes the plunger F The upper end of the cylinder F also forms a bearing for a shaft, U, pro

vided with an arm, U, and a handle, U.

This device is intended for throwing the lifting-lever T and the retaining-lever T in or out of gear with the plunger F by moving the handle U in one or the other of the two positions shown in Figs. 3 and 5. is provided with a lug, U which strikes against the cylinder F", as shown in Fig. 5, thereby locking the handle U and the arm U in the lower position. The jack F is operated in the usual manner by the raising and lower- 85 ing of the handle-lever F, which operates the arm T and the lifting-lever T.

The grips H, of which there are two, consist of the lovers H and H which are fulcrumed centrally above the rail in the bracket 0 I, attached to the front end of the platform B. The upper ends of the levers H and H are connected by means of the rods J and the screw-eye J to the ends of the cross'beam E.

The screw-eye J can be raised or lowered by 5 means of the nut J To the platform B are also attached the brackets K, on each of which is fulcrumed a lever, L, on which is secured one end of a chain, M, which passes over a pulley, M, at- :00

tached to the cross-beam E, and down to the plank G, to which the other end of the chain The cylinder F is provided 60 The handle U M is firmly secured. The rear end of the platform B is provided with rings N, to lock the levers L.

The operation is as follows: The hand-car A is placed on the rails O, which, in conjunction with the ties 1?, form the track Q. As shown in the drawings, the track-lifter is ready for use, the plank G being lowered to the roadbed between the rails O, and by moving the levers F of the jacks F up and down the jacks raise the cross-beam E, which is guided by the bolts D, until the cross-beam E strikes against the nuts D. This movement of the cross-beam E causes the levers H and H of the grip H to clamp the rails O firmly, as shown in Fig. 2. The movement of the levers F of the jacks F being continued, causes the raising of the track Q by the upward movement of the cross-beam E and the grips H attached thereto. The nuts J regulate the amount of throw imparted to the levers H and H of the grip H by the cross-beam E. \Vhen the intended work on the road-bed has been accomplished, the track is laid down again onto the road-bed by throwing the jacks F out of gear by means of the handle U and the arm U, as before described. The plank G, with the jacks F, is then raised and held raised by pressing the levers L downward and fastening the ends of the same to the platform B by means of the rings N, or any other suitable device. The plank G and the jacks F are now supported by the chains M, the pulleys M, and the levers L, and the bottom of the plank G, being raised a short distance above the top edge of the ties P, allows the forward or backward movement of the hand-car A along the track Q.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a track-lifter, the combination, with the hand-car A, of the jacks F, the plank G, the cross-beam E, supported on the platform of the hand-car A, and the automatic grips H, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a tracklifter, the hand-car A, thejacks F, the plank G, the cross-beam E, and the standards D, in combination with the levers L, the chains M, and the pulleys M, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a track-lifter, the hand-car A, the jacks F, the plank G, the cross-beam E, and the supports D, in combination with the grips H, each consisting of the levers H and H, fulcrumed to a bracket, I, attached to the side of the platform B and connected with the cross-beam E by the rods J, screw-eye J, and nut J sub stantially as shown and described.

4. In atrack-lifter, the hand-car A, the jacks F, the plank G, the cross-beam E, the supports D, the bolts D, and the nuts D in combination with the grips H, the rods J, attached to the cross-beam E, and the brackets I, substantially as shown and described. a

5. In a track-lifter, the hand-car A, the supports D, the bolts D, the nuts D, the grips H, the rods J, attached to the cross-beam E, the brackets I, the cross-beam E, and the plank G, in combination with the jack F, having the cylinder F provided with a base-plate, F and the plunger F provided with the plate F and having a device for operating the said plunger F, substantially as shown and described.-

6. In atrack-lifter, the cross-beam Eand the plank G, in combination with the jack F, consisting of the cylinder F, provided with the base-plate F, the plunger F provided with the plate F, the handle-lever F, the arm T, the lifting-lever T, the retaining-lever T, and a device for throwing the levers T and T in or out of gear with the plunger F substantially as shown and described.

7. The jack F, consisting of the cylinder F, the plunger F the lever F, the arm T, the lifting-lever T, and the retaining-lever T in combination with shaft U, the arm U, and the handle U having the lug U substantially as shown and described.

8. The combination, with a hand-car, of a frame mounted on said car, grips suspended from the frame, and jacks attached to the frame, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with a hand-car and a suitable frame mounted thereon, of track-grips suspended from the frame, and jacks having their pistons connected to said frame, substantially as shown and described.

10. The combination, with a hand-car, of a beam mounted to have a short vertical movement upon standards on the car, track-grips suspended from the beam, andjacks having their pistons connected to said beam, substantially as shown and described.

11. The combination, with a hand-car, a frame mounted thereon, track-gripssuspcnded from said frame, and jacks having their pistons secured to said frame, ofa Windlass and chains connected with said jacks, substantially as shown and described.

JAMES WV, MCDONALD.

Witnesses:

THos. J. LEWIS, W. R. JOHNSON. 

